Ontario's Regulatory Registry

Regulation - Minister

Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services: Public consultation on a proposed regulation for public reporting on fire department response times.

Regulation Number(s):

N/A

Bill or Act:

Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997

Summary of Proposal:

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) is seeking public input on a proposed change under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 related to new requirements for public reporting on response times.

This proposed new regulation would increase transparency and accountability by requiring all fire departments report to the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) on a number of standard response times (e.g., the amount of time between when a fire truck is on route to an emergency incident and when the fire truck arrives at the scene). OFMEM would provide fire departments with calculated response time data, unless fire departments choose to conduct their own calculations. Fire departments would be required to submit this information to their local municipal council.

Every year, OFMEM would be responsible for making these response times public on its website.

This requirement is proposed to come into force January 1, 2020.

This new regulation is based on expert advice MCSCS received from a Fire Safety Technical Table (the Table). The Table was established in January 2017 to help develop recommendations to the Minister of Community Services and Correctional Services regarding modernization of fire service delivery in Ontario. The Table included representatives from municipalities, firefighter associations and fire departments, including composite and volunteer fire departments.